


I Want to Believe

by Owlsofthenight



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alien!Josh, Alternate Universe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Science Fiction, Supernatural Elements, Telekinesis, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2018-11-12 16:54:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11166078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owlsofthenight/pseuds/Owlsofthenight
Summary: Josh is an alien.Tyler doesn't believe it. Not right away, at least.Inspired by the song “Saturn” (Sleeping at Last) and Josh Dun’s alien obsession.





	1. The Courage of Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This story is only going to be a few chapters long, but I have to get it out of my head.
> 
> Enjoy :)

It was late at night and Tyler had just finished a double shift at work. He was fighting to keep his eyes open as he watched the lines on the pavement come and go through the headlights without a single car passing him on the rural backroad. He turned the radio up and rolled down a window to let in the cool, summer night air and prayed it would be enough to keep him awake.

He felt like a robot. The movements that kept his car in its lane were being done subconsciously. Crashing out here would be terrible- no one would find him for hours. He never wanted to climb into bed so bad in his life, and although he hated this entire experience, it was extra money that he couldn't pass up.

And that's when it happened.

The sky grew brighter and brighter, as if the sun was quickly rising, causing Tyler to hit his breaks and come to a screeching halt in the middle of the road.

He must be dreaming.

 _There_ _was no possible way._

He rubbed his eyes vigorously, but the hallucination didn't go away. He was pretty sure it had actually gotten worse as a meteorite-like object came into view.

It was coming down at an angle off in the distance, and _fast._ Tylerwasn't a professional or anything, but he was pretty certain it didn't look like a normal meteorite at all; it had green and blue trails that twisted behind it as the glowing white object out front illuminated even brighter before passing above the treelines and dissapearing out of sight. It took a few seconds for the night sky to return to darkness- leaving no evidence behind of what had just happened.

But Tyler still stared, almost too shocked to move. Usually there was an explosion, or _something_ , right? Was he going to be the first to die at the end of the world? This is what happened to the dinosaurs, after all.

But there was nothing. It was just gone.

Once Tyler's heart returned to a normal rhythm, he rubbed his face and continued his course up the hill- although a little slower than before. 

He still couldn't believe what he had just seen. He fell into his thoughts, wondering what it could've been and if anyone else had seen it. It was so bright and huge, there was no way he could have been the only one. 

As he neared the top of the hill, his attention was brought to a section of trees that had been damaged. The tops were taken right off, and one was even laying across the roadway- leaving only one lane to get by.  

Tyler didn't dare stop to absorb the aftermath, a knot forming in his stomach at the thought of how close it had actually been.

As he maneuvered around the fallen tree, a green glow through the woods caught his eye.

Was that... fire? 

Before Tyler could get a better look, or even react for that matter, a figure emerged from the shadows and out in front of his headlights. He was slamming the breaks yet again, coming to a complete stop just inches away from whatever it was. 

Two hands came down on the hood as a set of frightened eyes stared through the windshield.

Tyler threw the car into park and jumped out, "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!"

He rushed over, but stopped once he realized what he was looking at.

It was a man- no older than himself, but he was banged up and looked horrified to see Tyler. His wide, ice-blue eyes had put him into such a trance that it took him a second to even notice that the man was naked.

"Woah, what happened to you?"

The man flinched at his words and looked like he was getting ready to make a run for it.

Tyler held up his hands and spoke gently, "I'm not gonna hurt you, I just want to help. Do you need a ride to the hospital?"

After some hesitation, the man shook his head- but it seemed more like a thoughtless motion than an actual answer. 

Tyler was at war with himself. He couldn't just leave him out here, but at the same time, he was scared. He wasn't sure what to do or how much he could trust the stranger, but he had to do _something_. It was his nature.

Tyler rasied his hands again, "Here, hold on. Don't go anywhere."

He jogged over to the rear driver's side door and pulled out a blanket that had been crumbled up on the floor for what seemed like ages. Tyler knew there would come a time where he benefited from having a messy car.

He unfolded it and slowly, avoiding any sudden movements, got close enough to wrap it around the man's shoulders.

He seemed to understand that he wasn't in immediate danger anymore, but remained on high alert as he watched Tyler's every move tentatively.

"You can't just stay out here like this. Where do you live?"

The man only stared and gripped the blanket tighter around himself.

"Are you deaf? Can you even speak?"

He bit his lip as he watched Tyler's mouth move. Still nothing.

Tyler sighed, "Look- it's late and no one else is going to be around for a while. You can come with me, I guess. We can figure this out somewhere, other than... you know, a creepy, deserted back road."

He headed for the passenger door, holding it open and motioning for the man to come over after getting no reaction.

There was definitely something very off about him, but after successfully getting the man inside, Tyler dismissed it.

He got into the driver’s seat and buckled his seatbelt, waiting for the man to do the same.

He only received a confused blink.

Tyler laughed and scrunched up his face, "Here."

He reached across and pulled the buckle down, clicking it into place for him. This strange man was acting like he had never been in a car before- as if everything was so foreign to him. 

Tyler hoped he didn't have a brain injury, but obeyed the man's wishes and didn't head for the nearest hospital- although everything inside of him screamed to.

Instead, he resumed his course for home. 

The ride was quiet with just the low hum of the radio to offset the stillness in the air. Tyler frequently glanced over at the man, curled up against the door, watching out the window in wonder.

As if he was seeing everything for the first time.


	2. What is Your Name?

Tyler unlocked the door as quietly as he could and checked to make sure no one was inside before guiding the man, still wrapped up in a blanket, into the house. 

"Wait here." Tyler instructed before jogging upstairs and tip toeing over to his roommate's bedroom.

He peaked inside to see his sleeping frame under the bedsheets and slowly closed the door. At least he didn't have to worry about the other guy's nonexistent loud mouth waking him up.

Tyler was relieved to find him in the same spot downstairs, having not moved a single inch, "Alright, come with me."

Tyler took a few steps and stopped, looking behind to the man who _still_ hadn't moved an inch.

This was going to take some getting used to. 

Tyler gestured to his bedroom, "Come here."

He practically saw the phrase now click inside the man's head as he began to walk over.

After they were in the room, Tyler searched for the light switch and turned it on. The man flinched and glanced all around, legitimately frightened by the sudden brightness.

"Easy, easy. It's... just the _light_... you're really timid, huh?" Tyler shook his head, "Never mind. You don't even talk. Heck, I don't even think you can hear."

The two stood closer now than ever before, allowing Tyler to get a better glimpse at his eyes- and they weren't the pale blue he could've sworn they were just a little earlier.

They looked... silver.

 _Metallic_. 

Blue hadn’t even appeared natural paired up with the man's dark hair- but  _this_  was just down right unearthly.   

"Woah, I've never seen eyes like that before." Tyler spoke to himself.

No real sense in worrying about what he said if the guy couldn't understand him, right?

"Moving on." He mumbled as he walked towards the closet.

He pulled out a black hooded sweatshirt before digging through his dresser for a pair of boxers and pajama bottoms, "You look about my size, so hopefully these fit." He bit his lip and sighed, "I'm doing it again. I keep talking to myself like an idiot because I'm so used to..."

He trailed off, noticing the two big eyes that were glued to him from across the room. There was something about the way the man was looking at him that nearly broke his heart for being insensitive. Even if the guy couldn't communicate verbally, he could still read body language.

"I'm sorry... I just... this whole thing is really weird. I want to help, I just wish you could say something. _Anything_." He hung on the thought before holding out the pants and boxers, "Put these on."

He didn't budge.

"Oh come on, please don't make me do it. Look- you put _these_ ," he pointed to the clothes, "on your legs like this." He pointed to his own pants, "I'll wait out there for you to get dressed."

Tyler left the door cracked open slightly as he went to sit on the couch and ponder what in the actual heck he was doing.

He had a _stranger_ in his house- one he simply just plucked up off the street in the middle of the night. 

Couldn't speak. Couldn't understand.

Then Tyler thought about the meteorite.

The broken trees. The green glow.

The man he had nearly turned into road kill.

But no. It was purely coincidental, right? It had to be. There was no other logical  explanation.

The door opened as Tyler looked over to see that he had successfully put the clothes on. Well, almost.

Tyler chuckled, "Dude, you put them on backwards."

•|i|• Ø iT! ].[

The man was sitting on the closed toilet as Tyler cleaned a cut on his cheek. His injuries varied from bruises, which were getting darker by the hour, to minor scrapes and cuts on his face and torso. Tyler did his best to address the worse ones, making sure they didn't have any dirt or debris in them.

He fought the urge to ask what had happened. He already knew the reply he'd get.

Yet, he couldn't help but try to fill the silent void in the room.

"I think that's good enough. You're lucky you didn't get hurt worse. Or maybe you _did,_ which would explain... never mind." Tyler gathered up all of the medical supplies scattered across the counter and placed them back into a drawer, "Just wish I knew your name at least."

Tyler turned towards the man with a sudden realization.

Maybe he couldn't speak English.

Maybe he could say his name.

That would be a pretty basic starting point for them.

"I'm Tyler." He said as he patted his chest.

The man squinted, as if trying to understand the correlation.

"Ty-ler." He repeated slowly, "Can you say that?"

"Tyler." The man slurred as if he hadn't used his voice before.

The excited laugh Tyler let out scared him, "Sorry! It's just- that's good! That's really good. Now, what's _your_ name?" Tyler pointed at him.

He looked completely unsure and shook his head.

"If I'm Tyler, then what's your name?" 

The man shook his head again.

"Come on, you _have_ to have one."

"Tyler."

"No." He rubbed his temples, "That's not... You know what? Let's just go to my bedroom. I'm exhausted, and you look like you are, too. Follow me." Tyler left the bathroom, knowing without having to turn around that he wasn't being followed.

Tyler huffed with frustration but took a deep breath. He had to stay calm, "Come here."

The man immediately stood up and walked over. 

He smiled, "You knew what that meant this time. Cool."

"Who are you talking to?" Mark asked as he walked down the stairs.

Crap.

There wasn't enough time to hide before he rounded the corner and was face to face with them.

Mark's eyes widened, "Oh... Hey!" He leaned towards Tyler and whispered, " _Who the hell is that_?!"

"Look, before you freak out- he needed help, and-"

"Oh God! Please tell me he's not some sort of serial killer!"

The man moved to hide behind Tyler, "No!" He paused, "Actually, I don't know."

"Are you insane?!"

"He needed help! I almost hit him on the way home."

The man looked up at Tyler, taking in the word he had just said.

Home.

"I think he's lost. He speaks a different language or something. He's only said one word since I found him. He's, like, terrified of everything, too. I think something bad might've happened to him."

"Okay!" Mark rolled his eyes, "He can stay here _one_ night, but if he slits my throat in my sleep, I'm gonna come back and haunt your ass." 

•|i|• Ø iT! ].[

"How about Mark junior?"

"Okay, now you're not even trying." Tyler complained as they studied the man sitting across from them on the couch.

"I can't even name pets! How am I supposed to do this?!"

"How about Anthony?" Tyler suggested.

The man continued to stare in confusion, but shook his head.

Tyler picked up a magazine off the coffee table and began to skim through the pages, "Tom?"

Nope.

"Jim?"

Nope.

"Victoria?" Mark snorted.

"Dude, seriously." Tyler grumbled as he searched through the paragraphs, "Greg?"

"No, I knew a Greg once... hated him." 

Tyler tugged at his hair, "This is gonna take forever... William?"

"He doesn't even look like a William."

Tyler scoffed, "And what exactly does a 'William' look like?"

"Not like him!"

"Then what does he look like?!"

"I don't know! A Josh?!"

Mark and Tyler looked over to the man who silently glanced between the two of them.

"Josh?" Tyler repeated the name to see if it felt right.

To their astonishment, the man nodded and pointed to himself, "Josh."

Tyler grinned, "Sick."


	3. Someplace Else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the War of the Worlds (2005) references... :p

Tyler woke up in an uncomfortable position against the arm rest of the couch. He rolled onto his back and massaged his stiff neck, trying to soothe the dull ache as he stretched out his legs.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone to check the time. 3:46am.

And then he remembered.

He remembered Josh falling asleep by his feet, but he was no longer there. Just Mark, who was peacefully snoring on the love seat across from him.

He got up to see that the kitchen was empty, and so was the bathroom.

"Josh?" He whisper-yelled.

He peaked into the guest bedroom before running down the hall to his own bedroom. Nothing.

He bolted for the stairs and called out Josh's name again, as loud as he could without waking Mark. He was beginning to panic, and he wasn't quite sure of the reason. So what if he left? He was an adult and had no reason to stick around if he didn't want to.

But Tyler felt hurt. Why would he just leave like that? Not even a goodbye? Oh, wait...

Luckily, something in Mark's room caught his attention. The window was open and the drapes were blowing in the breeze.

Tyler rushed over and hung out the window, turning his head once he saw something move.

"Josh! Jesus Christ, you scared me!" He climbed out and carefully maneuvered across the rooftop to where the man was sitting, "What are you doing out here?"

Josh looked up at the sky.

Tyler copied him, and was slightly taken back by how beautiful it actually was; there wasn't a single cloud to be seen, the moon was full, and the stars were bright. He could see the distant flashing lights of a passing airplane and even the faint streak of the Milky Way.

But the roof, of all places. 

"I used to do this all the time. Almost forgot how relaxing it was." Tyler spoke softly and carefully adjusted himself a safe distance from the edge.

Josh tapped his arm, briefly meeting his gaze, "Home."

He pointed up into the air.

Up to the stars.

Tyler was caught off guard, but smiled, "No, thats the sky."

He shook his head adamantly, "Home."

Tyler was perplexed, but didn't say anything else as he tried to read Josh's face. He looked pensive. Almost sort of sad.

Maybe the stars reminded him of home.

•|i|• Ø iT! ].[ 

Josh was sitting on the ground in front of the tv as he watched the screen with fierce concentration. Tyler looked on from the kitchen, sitting on the counter and eating a bowl of cereal.

"Geez. He's really into it, isn't he?" Mark commented as he made himself a bowl.

"He's been there for over an hour. I'm afraid to change the channel." Tyler took a bite, "He said something else this morning."

"Oh, yea? What?"

"Home."

Mark raised an eyebrow as he poured the milk, "Home?"

"Yea... he was pointing at the stars."

Mark glanced over to Josh and lowered his voice, "This guy is out of his mind."

"No he's not, he's just..."

"Completely insane? Yes."

Tyler stared down into his bowl as he tried to decide whether or not to say what he wanted to. After everything that had happened, his imagination had started to run wild- and even he didn't believe half the stuff it came up with.

He needed to lay off the Twilight Zone.

"What?" Mark asked as he sat down at the table.

Damn him for being so transparent.

"It's nothing, I just..." He stirred the spoon absentmindedly, "Couldn't help but think... and I know it doesn't make sense, and it's really stupid... but..."

"Dude, the suspense is killing me."

Tyler sighed, "What if he's from... someplace else?"

"What, like Europe?"

"No, Mark.  _Not_ like Europe! I'm talking about..." He scratched his face and bit the inside of his lip, "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

By the grace of God, there was a knock at the door that interrupted them. Tyler gave Mark a questioning look.

"It's probably just Pete. He's giving me a ride to work later."

"I didn't know you had to work today."

"Someone called out." Mark replied as he answered the door.

"Hey! What's up." Pete stepped inside and immediately noticed the strange man just hanging out in the living room like a child watching Sunday cartoons, "Um, who's that?"

Mark sighed, "Long story. Don't ask."

"Okay, well now I'm even more curious than before."

Mark glanced over to Tyler who shook his head with wide eyes, "Nope. I'm not explaining this again. It's your turn."

"Alright, alright. Pete, you might wanna sit down for this one."

•|i|• Ø iT! ].[ 

"Oh my God."

"Yea, that's been a pretty common phrase in this household lately." Tyler said as he changed the channel to the news, thankful to see that Josh was indifferent to it.

He sat down next to Pete, who appeared to be in some kind of mental debate with himself. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his forehead wrinkled, and his eyes focused on nothing in particular as he pondered in silence.

But out of the blue, he sat up straight and smacked his hands down onto his thighs- causing Tyler to jump, "He's an alien."

Mark threw his head back against the couch cushion behind him, "And here we go."

"Oh, come on! I'm only connecting the dots here!"

The tone in his voice even managed to gain Josh's attention, the first thing to do so in hours. He turned to watch the heavily tattooed man speak and focused on him cautiously.

Pete continued, "Need me to spell it out for you? That meteor-thing... what ever the hell it was- came down, and just as you pass by, _he_ comes darting out of the woods. Doesn't understand human language-"

" _English_." Mark tried to correct.

Pete waved him dismissively, "And he doesn't act..." he met Josh's stare, "...normal. No offense or anything... Man, your eyes are really-"

"Guys, look!" Tyler exclaimed as he reached for the remote to turn up the volume.

On the screen was an image of the meteorite- taken some place in the center of town when it was still high up in the sky.

All eyes were on it as the news reporter spoke, "... lit up the sky late last night. The remains of a large satellite were recovered, and authorities are asking for any witnesses to call the number below if they have any information related to the unusual event."

"See! They know!" Pete squealed.

Mark flung his hands up in frustration, "They just said it was a satellite!"

"They're lying! What kind of information would they want for a fallen satellite?! They're looking for a missing piece that goes with what it _actually_ was!" He aimed a finger at Josh, "They're looking for _him_!" 

Josh looked terrified, and Tyler was close to yelling at Pete to shut up, but he couldn't. He was too baffled to do anything except listen.

"There's no such thing as freaking aliens, Pete!" Mark shouted as he looked over at Tyler, "Please,  _please_ , tell me you don't believe him."

Tyler shook his head with his mouth hung open slightly. Not really a yes, not really a no.

"Dude, there's literally no other explanation!" Pete argued.

Tyler could tell that Josh had grown more tense again. He had gained the strange man's trust in a short amount of time, allowing him to settle down and separate from whatever had made him grow so terrified in the first place, but now it was back. Josh's eyes looked identical to the ones he had seen in his headlights.

"Hey, chill out guys! You're scaring him." Tyler demanded as Mark fumbled with his cell phone, "What are you doing?"

"Calling the number. They said if we saw anything 'suspicious' to call, and I'd say finding a naked guy right next to the crash site fits that category."

"No! You can't do that! The government's gonna take him away and do experiments on him!" Pete scrambled to his feet to try and grab the phone from Mark.

"Guys, stop!" Tyler's attempted peace speech was ineffective.

Mark shoved Pete back with an arm and a leg as he tried to hold the phone away as far as possible. Pete dropped his body weight entirely on top of him as he pushed his face and swung a hand for it.

"Get off of me!"

"Give me the damn phone first!"

"No!"

"Stop resisting!" 

"Stop shoving your thumb in my eye!"

Tyler grabbed one of Pete's shoulders, but it was mainly just to look like a good roommate running to Mark's aid than anything else. As predicted, Pete pushed his hand off.

He was now climbing up to _stand_ on the couch.

Mark crumbled up into a ball, the phone protected inside a death grip underneath him, "Quit it!"

"No!"

Mark yelped when Pete accidentally kneed him in the ribs, "Not even playing- I'm gonna deck you in a second!"

"You'll be walking to work!"

Josh shot up to his feet, "Stop!"

The hairs on the back of Tyler's neck and arms stood up on end as the air surged around them and everything, instantaneously, lost power.

The television had cut to black. All the clocks had stopped working. Any lights that had been on were now, inexplicably, off.

The phone in Mark's hand was now dead.

They all gaped at Josh- Pete and Mark still in mid-fighting position. None of them knew what to do, or what to say about what had just happened.

That _did_ just happen, right?

Or was Tyler hallucinating? Were they all just hallucinating? Maybe the house just happened to get hit by a black out, right when Josh...

No.

This wasn't happening.

"Did... did h-he just..." Mark began to stutter.

"Josh... did... did you just do that?" Tyler was impressed he was able to speak clearly.

Impressed that he hadn't thrown up and dropped to the ground. Yet.

Josh responded by shamefully lowering his gaze to his feet.

The television flickered back to life. The appliances in the kitchen beeped. The clocks began to tick again. The lights turned back on.

Mark's phone restarted.

"Ho-ly shit."

Pete grinned ear to ear, "I fucking knew it."


	4. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always find myself apologizing for delays, but... I’m sorry!
> 
> I’m going to try to get better at updating because I really like writing this and keep getting more and more ideas :)

Pete paced past the couch, to the wall, and back again- his eyes locked and never wavering from what he was staring at.

Tyler stood next to Josh, who was sitting on the ground- watching the television again as his eyes darted back and forth. As if observing.

As if _learning_.

And then there was Mark, who had distanced himself and stood with his back against the counter in the kitchen- his eyes also locked and never wavering.

Not from the paranormal phenomenon located in the living room.

“What the hell do we do?” Mark asked, his throat tight with nerves.

“We keep this between us. If anyone tells the police, they’ll get the government involved and-”

“Why did they lie?” Tyler cut Pete off, “Why would they say that thing was a satellite, if it was... whatever he came here on?” 

“Because,” Pete opened his arms and flailed them at Josh, “‘Hey, look! We found indisputable evidence that extraterrestrials exist!’ would probably cause mass panic.” He went back to pacing, “They don’t want that shit to get out... but I can guarantee you this wouldn’t be the first time they've encountered someone like him... it is a _him_ , right? ... _It_?”

Tyler rolled his eyes, “Okay, so we don’t tell anyone. What else? Like, what do we do with him? Where do we keep him?”

“Here.” Pete didn’t skip a beat with his answer, “You keep him here.”

Mark flung his hands up, “What?!” 

“Well, where else would he go, Mark?” Pete argued.

”You seem to be the one with the most knowledge on the subject, why don’t  _you_ take him?!” 

“Are you kidding me? My girlfriend would _freak_!”

“Enough!” Tyler stepped in between them, “Both of you just shut up! He stays here, Mark. I know you don’t like it, and you don’t have to, but at least give him a chance.”

Mark crossed his arms, staring ahead with displeasure.

“I mean, how would you feel if you crash landed on a different planet and couldn’t figure out what to do or where to go?”

Pete nodded his head, “He has a good point, you know.”

Mark huffed, “Fine, but I’m not taking care of him." He pushed off of the counter and started walking towards the door, "We gotta go, or else I’m gonna be late for work. He better not disintegrate anything while I’m gone, or else I’m gonna be pissed.” 

Tyler glanced at Josh, who looked up at him with such an innocent, unsure face that it left no worry in his mind.

“No disintegrating anything. Got it.”

"See ya, Ty. Later, ET." Pete closed the door behind them.

Tyler looked back at Josh, who continued to stare up at him, "Well, I guess it's just you and me for the day."

Before he could even sit down, a rare sound entered his ears once again, "You... Tyler."

Tyler couldn't help but grin. He really liked hearing his voice.

"Yea, that's me."

Josh looked towards the door and pointed.

"What? Mark and Pete?"

Josh nodded, appearing to physically store the names in his memory, "Mark and Pete... loud."

Tyler started to laugh, "Yea, they are, aren't they?"

He didn't get a response, but he hadn't been expecting one. 

"So... you're talking more."

He apparently jinxed it as Josh turned to continue watching the television- still the same old, boring news from earlier.

"Do you wanna change the channel? Like, to something a little less political? Because if you really aren't from this planet, trust me, that's not the greatest first impression."

"Talk... a lot." Josh said while studying an image at the top of the screen.

"Who? You?"

Josh shook his head, "Tyler. Mark. Pete."

Tyler's brow furrowed with confusion, "Do you not talk a lot where you come from?" He remembered looking up at the stars, "From home?" 

Josh shook his head again.

"Then how do you communicate?"

The last word sparked Josh's interest, but he didn't look quite sure of what it meant.

"Communication... like talking." Tyler rubbed the back of his head, "Geez, I'm not a walking dictionary, I don't know how else to explain it."

A grumbling sound sent Josh looking down and Tyler chuckling upon realization of what it was.

"What are you, starving? Do you wanna eat?"

Josh kept looking down, resting a hand on his stomach.

"Here, I'll go get you something." Tyler got up and went to the kitchen, pulling out a bowl from a cabinet, "Hope you like cereal, because it's a stable around here."

The sound as he poured the contents of the box into the dish made Josh grow curious enough to get up and investigate. He stood by the center island and watched Tyler as he grabbed milk from the fridge and a spoon from a drawer.

"This, my friend, is what Earth is all about. Heavily processed deliciousness." Tyler said as he placed the bowl down in front of him.

Josh glanced up nervously.

"Go on. Try it."

He gripped the spoon, in a similar fashion as a toddler, and hesitantly brought up a small amount to his mouth. The moment he began to chew, he smiled. 

The first time he had done so, and it made Tyler smile too.

"Good, huh?"

Josh nodded, "Good."

 •|i|• Ø iT! ].[ 

Turns out; aliens like Doritos and music, too. 

“Hey- take it easy, man. That’s your second bag.” Tyler warned as Josh pried the rustling plastic open.

“Good.” He spoke through a mouth-full.

“Yea, I know it’s _good-_ but moderation, dude!”

Josh swallowed and reached in for another chip, “Moderation.”

After almost a full morning of defining word after word, Tyler smacked his hands to his face and dragged them down, “It means not stuffing your gob with food!”

The chip was paused in mid air, but soon proceeded into Josh’s mouth with a crunch.

“Okay! Anyways... what do you wanna listen to?”

“Kings.”

“Kings of Leon? They’re your favorite, huh?”

Josh nodded, but Tyler knew he didn't understand the last part; he was mainly just recognizing the band’s name.

“Which song?” Tyler spun to face him.

The title seemed to be at the tip of Josh’s tongue as he squinted up at the ceiling, but he ended up settling for the only thing he could recall from it, “Stars... out in the stars. Know your name.”

”Wow... that was actually pretty good, but seriously? Again?”

“Again.” 

Tyler chuckled as he scrolled down a list of songs on his laptop , “Okay. This is it though. I love them, too, but you don’t want to over-play it. Know what I...” He glanced at Josh, “mean... never mind, of course you don’t.”

“Love.”

Tyler moved the cursor and double clicked, “Really? That’s the word you picked up on?”

Josh happily swayed as the song began to play, letting Tyler off the hook of explaining one of the most complex emotions to someone who doesn't fully grasp his language.

He mentally unwound as Josh remained entertained by the music, which like so many other things- seemed like a whole new experience to him, but Tyler also found that he couldn’t take his eyes off him for very long.

The soft, unique shape of his bizarre colored eyes. The way his white teeth beamed when he smiled, and the curves of skin on either sides of his mouth which framed it. His slender, yet muscular, physic...   

Jesus Christ.

Tyler was crushing on an alien.

He shook the thought out of his head, quite physically _shaking_  his head, and focused on just the visualizer displayed on his computer screen.

The lyrics began as the design and colors transformed with the rhythm.

 _See you in the Western sky_  
_On the best of nights_  
_Out in the dark_  
_You always seem to come my way_  
_Come and take your shape_  
_Out in the stars_  
_I really wanna know your name_  
_See your face  
Know who you are_

All too relevant, and far too coincidental.

The more and more Tyler listened to it, the weirder it got. Figures this was the song Josh wanted to play over and over again- but seeing the effect it had on him made it worth it.

Josh didn’t look like the same confused man Tyler almost ran over last night.

He looked like an ordinary guy, enjoying a good song. 

And some Doritos.

“Find Me.”

Josh looked at Tyler questioningly.

”It’s the name of the song. Find Me.”

  •|i|• Ø iT! ].[ 

With just one day worth of progress, Josh’s vocabulary had improved quite dramatically.

Like watching a newborn baby transform into a three year old in the matter of a few hours, or at least that’s how Tyler’s brain thought of it.

“You’re getting good... and you’re learning all of this just from watching tv?”

“And music... and you.”

”Wow, that’s... definitely... _incredible_.” Tyler sat down on the couch behind Josh, who sat in his usual position on the floor, “Now I understand why they have those parental locks... and to think some people say you can’t learn anything from dumb shows.”

A commercial came on that sent Josh pointing at the screen, towards the background, “What is that?”

“What? The river?” Josh gave him a look, like he wanted clarification, “It’s water. A lot of water.”

Josh smiled, “I like that.”

Tyler thought for a second before spewing out a poorly devised idea, “Do you wanna go see one?”

The smile faded as Josh glanced over at the front door, “Outside?”

“Well, duh.” 

Uncertaintly filled his expression as he opened his mouth but didn’t say a word. 

“It’s alright. You’ll be okay as long as you’re with me. You trust me, right?”

Josh nodded rather confidently, but then frowned, “Trust?”

“Yea, trust. It’s when... I don’t know- it’s when you fall backwards and someone catches you. Or when you can tell them anything and everything, because you know they won’t tell another soul. They’ll keep your secret.” Tyler looked him in the eye, “Trust is me not letting anything happen to you.”

“You’ll catch me if I fall?” Josh asked, more than just a repeat of the phrase.

Tyler stood up and held out a hand for him to take- an invitation for their first real physical contact. 

Josh accepted without much deliberation and grabbed onto his wrist. 

Even after Josh was up on his feet, their hands remained in place. Tyler’s skin tingled underneath the other boy’s warm touch, and he could feel a steady pulse beneath his palm.

They made eye contact, and in that moment- they felt a silent, mutual connection.

One that needed no words.

One that _had_ no words.

Josh’s fingers released, and Tyler did the same as one single thought passed through his head.

_I’m never going to let anything happen to him._


End file.
